Enhance Your Weight Loss - Read Food Labels

As we all know, exercise and reduced caloric intake are very important aspects of successful weight loss.  However, there are additional weight loss tools that can help with successful weight loss.  These can include things like using safe diet pills, keeping a food diary, partnering with a diet buddy to keep you accountable and more.  A new weight loss study suggests that reading food labels can help with weight loss. 

According to the study summary and a related press release, the weight loss researchers collected information on exercise habits, food label reading habits, and weight loss from volunteers who took part in the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth study.  Analysis of the information collected showed that:

• Women read food labels more often than men
• Women lost weight more successfully than men
• Individuals who read food labels, but did not exercise were more likely to lose weight compared to individuals that exercised, but did not read food labels.
• Consumers who combined food label reading with exercise improved their likelihood of losing weight compared to consumers who just replaced label reading with exercise.

This rather interesting study indicates that reading food labels might be able to enhance weight loss.  Reading food labels is an important part of healthy eating habits.  By reading food labels we are better able to realize what we are putting into our bodies.  The benefits of food label reading in regards to weight loss are likely due to an increased awareness of serving sizes, calorie content of foods, and levels of macronutrients like fat, carbs, and protein as well as levels of micronutrients essential for optimal health.  By reading food labels we become more aware of the nutritional benefits and risks of the foods we are consuming and we begin to discriminate between healthy and less healthy food choices.  Reading food labels is an important step towards increasing our nutritional knowledge and awareness.  So continue to exercise and watch your caloric intake, but also start reading your food labels.

Start losing pounds now with my easy diet plan using delicious, low glycemic, protein-packed bars and shakes to satisfy your hunger. Please recommend to anyone who wants to lose weight using a clinically tested diet plan and weight loss program.

USDA Hoping To Reduce Fat in Desserts

Who doesn't occasionally like to indulge in foods, particularly desserts, that don't provide much nutritional value?  Most of us enjoy having a piece of cake at a birthday party or doughnut for breakfast every now and again.  Where we get in trouble is when we start making this a regular habit or over-indulging when we do succumb to the temptation.  While desserts and many other baked pastries taste delicious, they are often high in fat.  In fact, many desserts are so high in total and saturated fat that nearly 50% of calories come from their fat content.

Researchers at the USDA's National Center for Agricultural Utilization Research are hoping to reduce the fat in many baked goods through the development of a new food ingredient called FANTESK.  This new ingredient consists of microdroplets of trans fat-free cooking oil encapsulated in wheat flour or cornstarch.  Experiments at the USDA have shown that by using FANTESK in cake mixes, it is no longer necessary to add cooking oil.  Furthermore, the reduced-fat cakes made with FANTESK apparently have both better texture and volume.  The researchers also report that reduced-fat frosting made with FANTESK have up to 50% less fat than regular frostings.  According to an earlier article, USDA researchers have successfully made low-fat cheese as well as low-fat soft serve ice cream with the FANTESK ingredient.

Results of food science research with FANTESK look extremely promising so far, suggesting that a new ingredient for low-fat foods might soon be available.  With the current obesity problem facing the United States and many other parts of the world, ingredients that can help lower dietary fat intake are needed.  In the meantime, the well known tips below can help lower the amount of fat in many of our favorite recipes:

• Reduce the fat added to the recipe by one-third.
• Use reduced fat versions of sour cream, cheese, or yogurt when called for.
• Choose skim milk for your recipes instead of whole milk.
• Cook with olive or canola oil instead of solid fats or blended vegetable oils.
• Use fruit purees to substitute for half of the oil or butter in the recipe.
• Substitute 2 egg whites for 1 egg.

Whether you are looking to lose weight or simply keep the weight you already lost off, my diet plan is an easy and delicious way to help reach your weight control goals.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more!

Increases in Food Availability

Research continues to suggest that our easy access to food is one of the major contributors to the obesity epidemic we are currently facing.  However, it is not entirely clear if there are differences in the availability of specific foods that could be responsible for the increase in obesity.

A new study explored this possibility.  To determine what food categories might be responsible, the study investigator analyzed food availability data from 1909 - 2007.  The results of this analysis showed that on a per person average, the consumption of a number of food categories have increased dramatically. 

• Added Oils - increased from about 16 kg/year to about 39 kg/year
• Meat - rose from 56 kg/year to 91 kg/year
• Cheese - increased from about 2 kg/year to about 15 kg/year
• Frozen Dairy Products - increased from <1 kg/year to nearly 12 kg/year

In addition to these categories, increased availability of sweeteners, carbonated beverages, fruits, vegetables, and fruit juices were seen.  Interestingly, many of the food categories that have become more available over the years are foods that are high in fat content.  Since fat is the most energy-dense macronutrient, the increased availability of these foods might be a major contributor to our increased energy intake and increased incidence of obesity.

In addition to an increase in food availability over time, we have also seen an increase in portion sizes.  For example, cheeseburgers have increased in size and caloric content over time.  According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Association, the number of calories in a cheeseburger have increased from 333 calories to 590 calories, an increase of 257 calories.  To view more examples and discover what you would have to do to burn those calories, take their Portion Distortion Quiz.

One of the major keys to healthy eating is portion control.  Since food has become more available and available in larger portions, it becomes more important for all of us to become more aware of proper portion sizes.  Whether you are looking to maintain a healthy body weight or to lose weight, my easy plan is a simple way to make sure you eat the right amount of calories each day.  Visit us at www.drtabor.com to learn more!